Damper



Decyl, 1953 G. A, PEPLE, JR 2,660,946

DAMPER l Original Filed Sept. 2, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 l g i h a a 1 i4 d ATTORNEYS DSC l, 1953 G. A. PEPLE, JR 2,660,946

DAMPER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 original Filed sept. 2, 1945 ATTORNEYS Dec. l, 1953 G. A. PEPLE, .1R

DAMPER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Sept. 2, 1943 MMA lMMI Q wmf/ae ATTO R N EYS and in varying volume. disclosed includes van improved constant velocity IPatented Dec. 1:, 195.3v

UNITED Asumas ssreNT oFFlc-E Gustave A. Peple, Jr., deceased, late of Richmond,

Va., by Bank` of `Commerce and Trusts, executor, Richmond, Va.

` Continuation of application Serial VNo. 500,902, September 2, 1943.Y This Vapplication January 30, 1951, SerialNo. 208,514

7 Claims.

This invention relates to dampers and more particularly concerns an improved damper and yoperating means therefor for use in regulating the volume of heated, cooled kor otherwise con-v ditioned air supplied to a room or other enclosure.

In Patent No. 2,281,615, there is disclosed an improved method and apparatus for supplying conditioned air to a room at constant velocity The apparatus, there damper comprising generally a pair of curved vanes ror blades hinged at opposite sides of. a duct and movable toward and away from each other. The present invention has to do with improvements in dampers of this general type, and in particular concerns` an improved .damper construction having power operating means for the blades entirely-disposed within the frame oi the damper inside of the'air duct, but out of the path of the air owing therethrough.

One object of the invention is to provide a damper of the type described having a motor mechanism for vpositively operating the blades,

which mechanism is Yarranged and disposed out Vof the path of the air flowing through the damper and the duct controlled thereby, whereby no obstruction is offered to the air ow. Another .object offthe invention is to provide a damper Yconstruction of this type in which the damper blade operating motorY mechanism is compactly disposed within the damper frame in such a manner that it neither protrudesl in the path of the air, requires the provision of duct walls or other pockets or `recesses nor entails increase nin the overall dimensions of the damper frame or Ythe duct in which the damper is disposed.

AA further object of the invention is to vprovide va damper construction in which the bladeropew ating motor acts directly on the damper blades without any intermediate power transmitting "linkage or like means.

4In the .accompanyingdrawings there is illustrated a preferred embodiment ofthe invention.

" In the drawings:

Fig. 'l is a vertical section through a room duct installation showing an embodiment of the Vdamper of the present invention with Yits control mechanism; y y

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3'is a` front elevation of the damper shown 'in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken along the y line 4-4 of Fig. V1 and viewed in the direction of thefarrows; f l l Fig. 5 is 'a vertical section 'through 'the damper rclose to the opening in the grille I I.

and damper-motor rmechanism showing the damper blades in closed position; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6;-6 of Fig. 4 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, I3- indicates an air duct through which conditioned air is delivered from air conditioning apparatus of any suitable type to a room or other enclosure 35. A short branch duct 3S, which may be oi' rectangular slection, leads from the duct I3 through an opening in the wall I0 of the room and the forward face of the duct 36 is tted with a grilleV II of known construction which Vmay be provided with adjustable or xed directional louversin amanner known in the art. A metal ground 9 may be vfastened to the wall I Ill` to receive the` end of the duct 36, and the grille II may be suitably secured to the ground in accordance with known practice.

vThe damper proper includes a rectangular frame 24 fitted within the duct '3B and removably secured thereto by any suitable means. A strip of felt 23 may be inserted between the framel 24 and the duct wall to facilitate installation and form an air seal between these parts.

In the disclosed embodiment, the damper frame 24 is provided with two curved blades I4 `and I4' which are respectively hinged along their rearward edges to the upper and lower walls of the frame 24 at its rearward end by the hinges I5 that when fully opened as lshown in Fig. l they lie along the upper and lower walls ofthe .duct formed by the frame 24 with their forward edges The'blades I4 and I4 are movable about their pivots I5 and I5 to angular positions in which they extend across the duct and so reduce the volume of air flowing therethrough to a greater or less degree. When the blade ends are brought in contact as shown in Fig. 5, they substantially cut offv the air flow. The blades I4 and I 4 are preferably curved to present convex inner surfaces whereby a smooth burble-free passage for-air is provided, but such curvature is not essential to the invention in'its broader aspects.

In accordance with the invention, Vthe blades I4' and I4 are moved to their angular positions by expansible motor mechanism disposed between each bla'deand the duct wall formed by the adyjacent wall of the `frame 24. In the 'disclosed embodiment, the expansible mechanism takes the form of resilient bags Il and I1 of rubber or equivalent material disposed respectively between each of the blades I4 and lI4' land the adjacent duct wall. Each of the bags I'I and'l'Visprefer- "ably confined vwithin an 'eXpansible' housing. As

shown, these housings may comprise a series of nested telescopically engaging U-shaped frames I6 and I6', all pivoted to the blade pivot I5 or I. The outermost of the nested frames iiXed to the adjacent wall of the damper frame iE-i, and the innermost of such frames I6 and I6 is fixed to the adjacent blade I4 or I4.' as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Oppositely disposed interengaging flanges 3l and 3! are provided along the opposite edges of adjacent pairs of the frames I6 and IS as best shown in Fig. 5 and serve to limit the eX- panding movement of these frames. rlhe arrangement is such that the outer ends of the blades I4 and I4 contact each other when the frames I6 and I6 are fully expanded (Fig. 5), whereas the blades lie along the duct walls formed by the frame 24 when the frames I6 and I6 are fully nested together as shown in Fig. l.

The blades I4 and I4 are biased by suitable means to move toward their fully opened positions as the Fluid pressure in the bags Il and il is reduced. As shown, tensioned springs I8 and I8 may be suitably connected between the outer surfaces of the respective blades I4 and I4 and the adjacent upper and lower walls of the frame 24 for this purpose.

Means are preferably provided for interconnecting the blades i4 and I4 so that they move in unison, meet at the center ci the duct when closed and maintain the center of the air stream at the center oi the duct in all open positions. ln the disclosed embodiment, the shafts 29 and 29 of the hinges I5 and I5 are fixed respectively to the blades I4 and E4 and bifurcated arms E8 and 28 fixed to the end of each oi these shafts respectively engage rollers El and il eccentrically secured to intermeshing gears and of equal size. The gears 25 and 25 are journaled. on suitable stub shafts 25 and 26 fixed to a side wall of the frame 24. A cover 3B separates the gear compartment from the blade compartment and is preferably supported in a slot formed by anges 3| on the frame 24 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The cover 3U presents a smooth even surface at the ends of th-e blades I4 and it and s so minimizes air leakage past the blades at this point. The cover 3i! may be removably secured in place by screws 32 passing through a nange on the front end of the cover as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 6. As shown in the drawing, the above described blade interconnecting mechanism may be duplicated at the opposite side oi the frame.

The expansible bags I? and l' are supplied with air or other motive duid under controlled pressure any suitable means. As shown, in-

terconnected tubing lf2 connects both of the bags II and Il to a flexible tube 3l within the duct E3, and the tube 3l' is connected `by means of suitable iittings 20 and 2i through the duct wall and by a tube 22 to a control instrument T located in or otherwise arranged to be responsive to air conditions in the room 35. The instrument T may comprise a thermostatic control device of known construction which acts'to supply air at pressures that vary inversely with variations in room air temperature to the ducts 22, Si and i9 and the expansible bags il and I'I. Air for this purpose may be supplied to the instrument T from any suitable compressed air source through the tube 33. Since thermostatically` controlled air pressure controlling instruments of the type indicated are well known to those skilled .in the art, a further description of the instrument T is unnecessary.

With the arrangement described. when due to a change in air conditions in the room such as a drop in temperature, an increase in the supply of conditioned air is required, the instrument T decreases the air pressure in the bags I'I and Il and the damper blades I4 and it are moved apart by the springs I8 and I8' to admit increased volumes of air to the room. When less air is required, the instrument T increases the air pressure in the bags Il' and Il and so moves the blades I4 and I4 closer together to reduce the volume of conditioned air supplied.

The disclosed construction can be considerably varied within the scope of the invention. On small dampers, one expansible power operating device may be used on one of the blades only, the other blade being operated through the interconnecting linkage from the power operated blade. Where the duct is small and constant velocity air supply is not essential, a single blade may be used. If desired, the bags Il and Il" may be formed of flexible inelastic material which is readily collapsed by the force of the springs I3 and I8.

This application is a continuation of application Serial No. 506,902, led September 2, 1943, now abandoned.

What is claimed is:

l. A. damper comprising a duct, two damper blades mounted in said duct for rotation, respectively, about axes adjacent opposite walls oi said duct from fully opened positions in which the blades lie along the duct walls to positions in which the blades converge angularly at least partially across the duct, a iiexible fluid tight bag disposed between at least one of said blades and the adjacent duct wall, a frame of telescoping members disposed around said bag between said blade and said wall, means interconnecting the blades to move in unison and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said bag to more said blades to convergent positions.

2. A damper comprising a duct, two damper lades mounted in said duct for rotation, respectively, about axes adjacent opposite walls of said duct from fully opened positions in which the blades lie along the duct walls to positions in which the blades converge angularly at least partially across the duct, a flexible fluid tight bag disposed between at least one of said blades and the adjacent duct wall, a series of nested telescopically interengaging frames surrounding said bag between said blade and said wall, means interconnectng the blades to move in unison and means for supplying a iiuid under pressure to said bag to move said blades to convergent positions.

3. A damper comprising a duct, two damper blades mounted in said duct for rotation, respectively, about axes adjacent opposite walls of said duct from 'fully opened positions in which the blades lie along the duct walls to positions in which the blades converge angularly at least partially across the duct, a flexible uid tight bag disposed between each o said blades and the adjacent duct wall, a series of nested telescopcally interengaging frames surrounding each of said bags between the blades and the adjacent duct walls and forming laterally rigid and longitudinally expansible walls about each cf said bags, means for biasing said blades toward their fully opened positions and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said bags to move said blades to convergent positions.

4. A damper comprising a duct, two damper blades mounted in said duct for rotation, respectively, about axes adjacent opposite walls of said duct from fully opened positions in which the blades lie along the duct walls to positions in which the blades converge angularly at least partially across the duct, a exible elastic fluid tight bag disposed between each of said blades and the adjacent duct wall, a series of nested telescopically interengaging frames disposed around each of said bags between the blades and the adjacent duct walls and pivoted to the axes of said blades, said frames forming expansible enclosures for said bags, means for biasing said blades toward their fully opened positions and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said bags to move said blades to convergent positions.

5. A damper comprising a duct, at least one damper blade mounted in said duct for rotation about an axis adjacent one wall of the duct from a fully opened position with the blade lying along and adjacent one wall of the duct to positions with the blade extending angularly across the duct, a ilexible fluid tight bag disposed between the blade and the adjacent duct wall, a series of nested telescopically interengaging frames disposed about said bag between the blade and the adjacent duct wall and pivoted to turn about the axis of said blade, said interengaging frames forming a laterally rigid longitudinally expansible wall about said bag, means for biasing said blade toward its fully opened position and means for supplying a fluid under pressure to said bag to move said blade to an angular position across said duct.

6. In a building structure a wall, a duct behind the wall, a branch duct having its end extending into an opening in said wall, a damper in said branch duct pivoted for movement about an axis adjacent one wall of said branch duct and parallel with the wall of said building, said pivot being positioned to provide a space between the adjacent wall of said branch duct and said damper, and a motor for operating said damper comprising a flexible bag attached to the wall of the duct and positioned in the space between said damper and the adjacent face of said duct and a member having portions embracing said bag when collapsed and movable with said damper when said bag is distended, said bag being otherwise free of said damper.

7. In a building structure a wall, a duct behind the wall, a branch duct having its end extending into an opening in said wall, a damper in said branch duct pivoted for movement about an axis adjacent one wall of said branch duct and parallel with the wall of said building, said pivot being positioned to provide a space between the adjacent wall of said branch duct and said damper, and a motor for operating said damper comprising a flexible bag attached to the wall of the duct and positioned in the space between said damper and the adjacent face of said duct, and a member having portions embracing said bag when collapsed and movable with said damper when said bag is distended, said bag being otherwise free of said damper, said building wall having a facing member covering the exposed end of said branch duct and with the marginal portion projecting partially across said duct at the side where said motor is located.

BANK OF COMMERCE AND TRUSTS, By T. J. HEADLEE,

Vice-President and Trust Olj'icer,

Eecutor of the estate of Gustave A. Peple, Jr.,

deceased.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,438,981 Christensen Dec. 19, 1922 2,157,025 Snediker May 2, 1939 2,224,312 ODay Dec. 10, 1940 2,256,467 I-Ioof Sept. 23, 1941 2,281,615 Peple, Jr. May 5, 1942 2,283,021 Udale May 12, 1942 2,320,007 Otto May 25, 1943 

